A.—No. 2a

40

APPENDIX TO RETURN RELATIVE TO THE

Let me here speak of one thing— a disapproval by me of this institution, the Native Land Court. Its fault is this : listening to the false statements of men who have no just claim to the land. Friends, this is a very bad practice. Our Maori custom is much preferable to this. This is another thing, the regulation of Crown grants. The fault in that is this :do you listen ! Where there are one hundred or more men (as claimants), the Court only admits of ten being inserted in the Crown grant, while the one hundred are thrown carelessly out of their land. This is the fault of that regulation. Another fault of the Crown grant is, the European invites the man to "whom the Crown grant belongs to drink spirits, and that Maori then says, " I have no money." Then the European says, " Tour money is your Crown grant —your land is your money." I look upon this as being a cruelty to the Maoris (so that they may cease to have any land). I had a word to say to the Judges who were at the second sitting of the Court at Napier. I said to them, " 0 my friends, if the man who has the Crown grant sells the land, will it go when it has been sold by him r" The Judges replied to me, "It will not go, unless the whole of the men whose names are in the Crown grant consent; then it will go." Then I knew that the Land Court was a good thing, and I thought, verily this is the permanent measure. Shortly afterwards another measure was adopted : the land went by the sale of one man. Do you continue to listen ? I will never suffer my land to go upon the sale by one man whose name is inserted in my Crown grant, because this is a lame system. Does it proceed from the lawyers, or from the Judges of the Court ? Friends, I was not formerly a man who wished to sell his land to the European. I proceeded to the Court that it might be permanently settled that the land should not be sold, but it appears that it can be sold. Friends, this is a regulation which destroys men. lam not able to write out the numerous matters which are troubling us. All that I will intimate to you is this: Let the (one) man who is in the Crown grant be prevented from selling, so that it be seen whether the Natives are to be as friends to you or what, or whether they are to be cast carelessly aside through these measures of Ihe European. Friends, I am now requesting you to immediately take some action with regard to this thing which destroys men, that it may be put an end to, and that man may be saved. Enough. From your loving friend, Kaeaitiana TalyAmoana. To Mb. Fenton,— Waipaoa, 14th September, 1870. Friend, salutations to you. This is my word to you in respect to the investigations of Tainaki, that is, of one end of that laud belonging to us, to the Ngatimaru, which commences at the Mangatcre River on one side, and at the Whakaruatnpu the other side. This is in one block ; ten men are named in the Crown grant, and Karaitiana is the first-named of them ; when the names had been proclaimed by the Court, Karaitiana got up and said to the Court, " This land is to be inalienable" When that block had been disposed of, then the Whakaruatapu and on to Mangatawai was called (the Native name is Ohu). When the case had been heard, then the names of the men were selected to be inserted in the Crown grant. Ten were selected—Nepe was the first of them. When these had been proclaimed, I got up and was going to speak to the Court, and say that this land was to be inalienable. Mr. Loelte said to me in Court, "Do not, but rather let us two go outside of the house and talk ;" then we two went outside, when he said, "Do not make it inalienable, as this is a hearing of no moment; but when the land is surveyed, then make it inalienable." So I consented that the block should be left open; so it ended about that block. Then the block Mangatawai and on to Manawatu was heard (the native name of which is Ngamako.) When this case had been investigated, then ten men were selected, of which Kapata was first; when the Court had proclaimed their names Kapata did not say this land was to bo inalienable, nor did he say it was to sell; there was not any word about that block, but this was land to be inalienable. Uapata says these pieces are for him to sell, but we have a claim in that block, we will make our pieces inalienable. That piece in the centre of the land to be sold by ltapata we will give (to him) but the pieces on the sides of the land to be sold by Itapata we will make inalienable. Our piece in the centre of the land to be sold —over this we will hold control. So ends, from all of us, Nepia Te Apatu. Note. —No restriction of inalienability has been made in this casel —ls,ooo acres, Manawatu, No. 5. Extracts from Eeports of Land Purchase Department, C. No. 1, 18G2, showing difficulties of dealing with the Natives, obstruction by Europeans, improvidence of the Natives, and their desire for change of system. Note. —These papers have not been copied, as they are already published. See Appendix to Journals House of Eepreßeutativea, 1862, C. No. 1. Opinion of Chief Judge on 17th Clause of Act, 1867, and Letters. Tuesday, 7th April, 1868. Place —Provincial Council Chambers. Present—F. D. Fenton, Esquire, Chief Judge. In the matter of Mr. McCormack's application, the Chief Judge pronounced the following opinion :—■ I have considered with much attention the arguments of Mr. McCormack as to the interpretation and the effect of the Amendment Act of 1867 ; and though the matter came before the Court in a somewhat irregular fashion, not being in any particular cause, yet I feel that I ought briefly to indicate the